5:2 Diet Recipe – Spring Lamb Saute

A Spring Lamb Saute for the 5:2 Diet

I’m the proud owner of a brand new Saute Pan from Swiss Diamond. And, although I am only home for a few days before I set off on my travels again, I was itching to try it. Swiss Diamond pans are, by reputation, excellent quality. And for those of us trying to follow the 5:2 diet they have the advantage of being capable of frying without any additional oil or fat. Perfect for a 5:2 diet recipe like this spring lamb saute I thought!

Now, having been following the 5:2 diet on and off for the last seven months, I’ve learnt a few things about how to cook and prepare low calorie healthy dishes without compromising on taste.

If you are using meat, use very good quality, lean meat and reduce the quantity you might normally anticipate needing by about a third. Add in plenty of green vegetables to bulk up your dish (in this case fennel and asparagus)

Avoid too many high GI ingredients. That includes white rice, potato, white bread, pasta and dishes with a high sugar content. It’s not just about the calories. If you eat a rice or potato based meal as part of your 5:2 fast day, you will feel hungry faster because the food causes sugar spikes (please excuse my very non-scientific explanation). Of course that doesn’t mean NO rice or potato, just that you should consider the proportion of any high GI food to the other ingredients. There’s a very good explanation of why this might matter on the NHS site

Avoid sugar, oil and fat where possible as they will simply ramp up the calorie content of your dish.

So, the idea of a pan that allows you to fry without oil is great for 5:2 diet recipes! You can see my rather messily trimmed shallots and fennel gently caramelising without a drop of oil in the pan!

This particular dish did come about partly because of a yearning for lamb. In my case, there were some tiny cutlets on special offer, but I think this 5:2 diet recipe would also work with lamb fillet cut into fine ribbons. Of course once you add in the meat there is a little fat, but, by using the saute pan without any extra oil this whole dish came in at well under 300 calories a portion

Directions

Dry fry the shallots and fennel over a low heat until the edges start to caramelise and the vegetables are softened

Step 2

Add in the lamb and seal on all sides

Step 3

Add in the white wine and lemon juice and cover the saute pan

Step 4

Cook for 8-10 minutes on a gentle heat

Step 5

Add the asparagus, cover and cook for a further 2 minutes

Step 6

Serve

On a non 5:2 diet fast day or even if I was very hungry and had some spare calories I might add in some new potatoes (77 calories for 100g – two or three of the tiny ones), but, I found this perfectly filling without. And those flavours of fennel, asparagus and lamb just sum up spring and early summer for me.

Are you still following the 5:2 Diet? Do you have any great tips to help us all along? Do leave me a comment and let me know. And remember you can win one of the Swiss Diamond Saute pans in my giveaway.

This does look like a great saute pan! It’s amazing how having a GOOD pan can make such a difference in the cooking experience…I had been using cheap ones for years, and finally upgraded to a nice NON-STICK pan that made my life SO much easier:-)

The recipe looks fab.
And the pan amazing … I am still using my grandmother’s Swiss NSN pans. They are 60 years old !!! Unfortunately NSN no loungers exist.
I am on the lookout for some great new pans as good as my old ones.

Dawn of Super Heroes

O2 London - 23rd February 2018 - tickets on sale now!

Following a successful run in Paris, France, 2018 will see the London Premiere of ‘DC Exhibition: Dawn of Super Heroes’, _a unique exhibition presented by with DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Consumer Products in collaboration with Art Ludique-Le Musée. Opening on 23 February at The O2, London, this one-of-a-kind exhibition celebrates DC’s rich history, unique mythology and iconic Super Heroes and Super Villains such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and The Joker.

Fans visiting ‘DC Exhibition: Dawn of Super Heroes’ will be able to walk through the exhibition, which runs in chronological order, with each room offering guests a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the mythical DC Universe. Featuring artwork of Super Heroes and Super-Villains such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Joker, The Penguin and Mr Freeze, the Exhibition will bring fans closer to the world’s most iconic characters.

This exhibition, accompanied throughout by original soundtracks of the DC films and series, will showcase original drawings of DC’s famous Super Heroes and Super-Villains, as well as iconic scenes and landmarks, from world-renowned artists including Jim Lee, Bob Kane, Neal Adams, Frank Miller, Alex Ross and many more.